National Emerald Aisle

[pinkibekki]

It looks like we are going to do the "Drive out of FL" with National car rental in April. Does anyone know if there are usually minivans on the Emerald Aisle? I can't see driving to NH with 2 adults and 3 teenagers (plus luggage) in a midsize.
I can reserve a full-size for the same price which still might be tight. An SUV is $10 more per day and a minivan is $15. However I would be kicking myself if I reserve it specifically and there is a minivan sitting in the aisle when we get there. (I hate not getting a bargain....)
Does anyone know if I make 2 reservations, when would I have to cancel one before not getting penalized?

 

[Psychodisney]

If I was you I would book the bigger vehicle. Unfortunately, I think National requires a 24 hour cancellation. So having a backup reservation means you might get stung. Check their website, I remember seeing the cancellation rules. I''m not exactly sure what that promotion is but it sounds like they want to decrease the number of total cars in Florida. I can't help but think they would still want the minivans in Orlando.

 

[DVC California]

...I can't help but think they would still want the minivans in Orlando.

This.

Orlando is a family destination and minivans are usually in demand. Will you be there Easter week? If not, you might have a chance to snag one. If you don't mind walking, check both A & B sides of Emerald Aisle. Or simply ask any reps if there any minivans are available for EA.

Good luck! Steve

 

[NHDisneyFan]

We all want a bargain, but the bargain here is that for an extra $15 a day you can insure the proper space.

 

[gmeh1]

It looks like we are going to do the "Drive out of FL" with National car rental in April. Does anyone know if there are usually minivans on the Emerald Aisle? I can't see driving to NH with 2 adults and 3 teenagers (plus luggage) in a midsize.
I can reserve a full-size for the same price which still might be tight. An SUV is $10 more per day and a minivan is $15. However I would be kicking myself if I reserve it specifically and there is a minivan sitting in the aisle when we get there. (I hate not getting a bargain....)
Does anyone know if I make 2 reservations, when would I have to cancel one before not getting penalized?

You will probably end up with a full size for an EA rental. There are not usually Minivans or SuVs on the EA, but, it does happen. Don't bank on it.
You can make two reservations and cancel one the day of rental. Sadly, it is done all the time. They do say they will charge you a cancellation fee if not done within 24 hours, but, they never do it. I have had people cancel one right at the exit booth. LOL. Bring printouts of your reservations with you and check the totals at the exit booth. Did you already make this reservation? I don't see a code for it on the National site. Not sure if MCO is available for this promo, the conditions say not available for metro areas, and MCO, Orlando and Disney are considered metro. IF you did make the ressie, what code did you use?

 

[pinkibekki]

No I haven't made the reservation yet since we're not sure if we are flying into MCO or TPA. But I did try it from either location and it worked. I went through the link on the main page of the website for "drive out of FL". It also worked with my BJ's "$20 off weekly rental" coupon. I think we will reserve the minivan rate to be sure to get it. I was thinking of the SUV rate too but sometimes they can be cramped too and gas mileage home wouldn't be good. Even at the minivan rate and all the discounts the weekly rate+2 days comes to only $250 which is cheaper than the basic weekly rate for that time. Btw we are going down the Friday after Easter since that is the start of our area's spring school vacation week, so airfare is crazy coming back anyway. This definitely works.
Thanks for all the input!

 

[gmeh1]

No I haven't made the reservation yet since we're not sure if we are flying into MCO or TPA. But I did try it from either location and it worked. I went through the link on the main page of the website for "drive out of FL". It also worked with my BJ's "$20 off weekly rental" coupon. I think we will reserve the minivan rate to be sure to get it. I was thinking of the SUV rate too but sometimes they can be cramped too and gas mileage home wouldn't be good. Even at the minivan rate and all the discounts the weekly rate+2 days comes to only $250 which is cheaper than the basic weekly rate for that time. Btw we are going down the Friday after Easter since that is the start of our area's spring school vacation week, so airfare is crazy coming back anyway. This definitely works.
Thanks for all the input!

Great rate, but, I cannot get the code, it does not show up when I click on the link. I am glad it will work for you.

 

[pinkibekki]

There wasn't a code. All I did was put the pickup location as MCO or TPA and the drop off location was the airport in Manchester, NH (MHT) which is 20min away from us.

 

[gmeh1]

There wasn't a code. All I did was put the pickup location as MCO or TPA and the drop off location was the airport in Manchester, NH (MHT) which is 20min away from us.

I did the same thing and got a HUGE price rate. Like over 1000k. Just for fun, and to check my browser ( I did delete stuff) what are your dates?

 

[bumbershoot]

https://www.nationalcar.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplate&msg=national-florida-one-way-drive-out

Terms and Conditions

Valid for one-way rentals reserved by May 31, 2014, for travel from April 1-May 31, 2014. one-hour advance reservation is required. The $9.95 per day rate is available for the rental of an Economy through Fullsize car. The $19.95 per day rate is available for the rental of a SUV and $24.95 per day for a Minivan. Vehicle must be rented from a participating National location in Florida, excluding the Pensacola/Tallahasee metropolitan areas, or Florida Panhandle locations. Vehicle must be returned to a participating Alamo location in the continental US, outside the state of Florida. Minimum one-day/maximum 21-day rental required. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts, coupons, or promotional rates. Availability is limited and blackout dates may apply. Renter must meet standard age, driver, and credit requirements. Taxes, government charges of up to 23%, recoupment fees of up to $2 per day or $3 per rental, airport fees of up to $6 per day or $19 per rental, refueling, and additional driver fees may apply, and optional items (e.g., CDWWaverSavers up to $30 per day) are the responsibility of the renter. Other surcharges and recoupment fees may apply. Check your insurance policy or credit card for rental vehicle coverage.

I did a set of dates earlier in April (the T&C does say blackout dates might apply) and got about 3K. Changed the dates to match what I assume the OP is doing (they are arriving after Easter so I used dates around then) and it came down by a lot. Then I signed into DH's account (b/c I have to update my CC to get anywhere in my own account and I'm lazy) and the price plummeted drastically and nearly nonsensically for a midsize.

Now I see the OP is flying down the Friday after Easter, so let's say they are leaving the next Friday and taking 2 days. May 2-4. I get 9.95/day midsize, and even when I take out DH's standard work-related coupon code (National then replaced it automatically with the typical EC code), I get:

(2) Time & Distance ($9.95/Day) $19.90
Discount ($1.99)
Inclusive Rate Items
Guaranteed Base Rate Included
(4) Additional Driver Included
Unlimited Miles Included
For information on coverage products, ex:Loss Damage Waiver(LDW) click here
Subtotal $17.91
.....
Estimated Total
$32.27

Standard SUV: $53.36

7 passenger minivan: $63.90



I can't even handle the rate it's giving me for an imaginary trip where I drive from FL to Seattle, taking 10 days...WOW. Makes me want to book it just in case! (I would actually LOVE to make that drive now that DS is older...and May would be perfect for it!)


Good luck with your decision, OP! I don't know how big your family is, but even an Impala is quite comfy and has MASS amounts of space for luggage in the trunk. It's nearly the car we own (Grand Marquis) and long road trips in it are wonderfully comfy and smooth.

 

[gmeh1]

https://www.nationalcar.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplate&msg=national-florida-one-way-drive-out





I did a set of dates earlier in April (the T&C does say blackout dates might apply) and got about 3K. Changed the dates to match what I assume the OP is doing (they are arriving after Easter so I used dates around then) and it came down by a lot. Then I signed into DH's account (b/c I have to update my CC to get anywhere in my own account and I'm lazy) and the price plummeted drastically and nearly nonsensically for a midsize.

Now I see the OP is flying down the Friday after Easter, so let's say they are leaving the next Friday and taking 2 days. May 2-4. I get 9.95/day midsize, and even when I take out DH's standard work-related coupon code (National then replaced it automatically with the typical EC code), I get:




Standard SUV: $53.36

7 passenger minivan: $63.90



I can't even handle the rate it's giving me for an imaginary trip where I drive from FL to Seattle, taking 10 days...WOW. Makes me want to book it just in case! (I would actually LOVE to make that drive now that DS is older...and May would be perfect for it!)


Good luck with your decision, OP! I don't know how big your family is, but even an Impala is quite comfy and has MASS amounts of space for luggage in the trunk. It's nearly the car we own (Grand Marquis) and long road trips in it are wonderfully comfy and smooth.

Thanks, I knew where the site was and the link, I was just concerned that no code filled in like it usually does. Just looking out for others.

 

[pinkibekki]

We are going to fly down on April 25th and drive back on May 3rd-4th. We are staying off-site so we needed the rental car for the week anyway. Looking initially it was coming up with a weekly rate over $300 for a midsize. So when I saw this offer on another post I decided to look into it since it was during our time frame.
The price for the midsize/EA came to $112 after taxes (and after coupons and emerald club rate) for 9 days. You can't beat that price! The price of the minivan rate is $253. As I said in my previous post, it's cheaper than what I was going to pay for a lesser car with a shorter stay. And since airfare is crazy expensive for us (about $200pp one way going home) we are still coming out ahead even with gas and a hotel stay on the way home.
We were thinking of driving down originally (since we did it 3yrs ago) but I'm afraid that my van isn't in good enough shape to make it this time (almost 200,000mi). We could probably fit into the Impala but with 3 teenagers elbow to elbow in the backseat for a 24hr drive home...I don't think that would be much fun for my stress level...Lol

 

[gmeh1]

We are going to fly down on April 25th and drive back on May 3rd-4th. We are staying off-site so we needed the rental car for the week anyway. Looking initially it was coming up with a weekly rate over $300 for a midsize. So when I saw this offer on another post I decided to look into it since it was during our time frame.
The price for the midsize/EA came to $112 after taxes (and after coupons and emerald club rate) for 9 days. You can't beat that price! The price of the minivan rate is $253. As I said in my previous post, it's cheaper than what I was going to pay for a lesser car with a shorter stay. And since airfare is crazy expensive for us (about $200pp one way going home) we are still coming out ahead even with gas and a hotel stay on the way home.
We were thinking of driving down originally (since we did it 3yrs ago) but I'm afraid that my van isn't in good enough shape to make it this time (almost 200,000mi). We could probably fit into the Impala but with 3 teenagers elbow to elbow in the backseat for a 24hr drive home...I don't think that would be much fun for my stress level...Lol

That is wonderful!!! I agree with you re: stress level. LOL. I am really glad it is working out for you so well..